'Stressful' - Daniel Young on landing breakthrough win in Farmfoods Scottish Challenge
Home player holds off experienced Frenchman to land title triumph at Schloss Roxburghe
It wasn’t as straightforward as he’d have liked. Not after seeing his four-shot overnight lead halved straight away after an opening double-bogey 6 that he described as “careless”. And not after seeing experienced Frenchman Julien Quesne push him all the way to the finish.
It was mission accomplished, though, for Daniel Young. After finishing third then second in his previous two starts on the HotelPlanner Tour, the 33-year-old maintained the progression by winning the £250,000 Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A at Schloss Roxburghe near Kelso.
Signing off with a 70 in blustery conditions at the Borders venue, Young finished with a 19-under-par total, pipping Quesne, a two-time DP World Tour winner, by a shot in a thrilling finish, with another home player, Euan Walker, finishing two shots further back in third place.
Young became the first Scot to land the coveted crown since David Law at Aviemore in 2018 and only the fourth home player to land the title, with Jamie McLeary and George Murray being the other home winners in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
“Yeah, buzzing,” said Young of making the breakthrough on the DP World Tour’s feeder circuit on his 104th appearance. “Absolutely delighted and I think I am still lost for words (laughing).” That was in reference to his winner’s speech, which was probably one of the shortest in the history of the game. “None of this was planned,” he joked of that.
Young joined Law, who landed the D+D REAL Czech Challenge last month, as a winner on the circuit this year, with both players now on course to secure seats at the top of the table next season. Law, who tied for tenth, is up to fourth in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with Young jumping eight spots to sixth. The top 20 will secure DP World Tour cards at the conclusion of the season-ending Rolex Grand Final in November.
“Yeah, I don’t think it gets any better,” admitted Young, who lost to Bob MacIntyre in the final of the 2015 Scottish Amateur final at Muirfield, of securing his breakthrough win, which was worth just over £46,000, on home soil. “Honestly, you don’t pick where you win. I would have taken winning anywhere, but this is extra special, that’s for sure.”
His opening tee shot in the closing circuit ended up behind a tree, leaving him having to play out sideways. It looked as though he might get away with a par after a lovely wedge for this third shot only to three putt from around eight feet.
“Honestly, I actually felt fine on the first tee, which is bizarre,” insisted the Kingsbarns Links-attached player. “I didn’t actually think my tee shot was that bad. It must have got a ropey bounce and I was right up the back of a tree. I did the smart thing and I thought I’d stiffed it, hitting a great wedge shot, but, from there, it was careless.”
His lead was down to just one shot at the turn, with his closest challenger at that point being the young Belgian, James Meyer de Beco. Young’s cushion was up to three again after the 12th before all three players in the final group made birdie-2s at the 13th from inside 12 feet.
Then, on the back of stiffing his tee shot for another 2 at the 15th before also making a birdie from close range at the 16th, Quesne had closed the gap to just one and the 44-year-old did his best to force a play-off by also giving himself good chances at the closing two holes. It was a relief for Young that his title rival couldn’t convert either of them and no-one could deny that this was a deserved title triumph.
“Just stressful,” declared Young in reply to being asked to sum up his day. “Winning is hard. I knew guys would be throwing the kitchen sink at me. James came at me early and then Julien was coming at me fast at the end. Obviously I managed to just hold them off. I struggled to make a putt today, but I made my fair share over the first three days, so I am certainly not going to grumble.”
After his early blip, he covered the remaining 17 holes in three under, getting up and down from the fringe on the left at the par-4 18th to seal the win. “I was still two ahead (after the first hole) so just had to reset,” he said. “It was a bit stressful, but I knew I was playing well. I knew I had to steady the ship, hitting fairways and greens. Maybe after the first I don’t think I missed a green until the last. The golf was solid. The gusts were all over the place, so it was a tricky day.”
On the back of his best finish of the season, Walker climbed 11 spots to sit 14th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings. Though there are still nine regular events remaining, it is shaping up to be the best season for Scots on the circuit since four players - Law, MacIntyre, Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston - graduated to the main tour at the end of the 2018 campaign.
“Yeah, a really good week,” said Walker of his effort, having signed off with a 68 that included a burst of four birdies in five holes on the back nine. “I hadn’t played well in this event when it was at Newmachar, so I am pleased to have changed that at a new venue this week. Third on my own here is an absolutely massive finish.”
In a nice show of support, Walker, Law, Jack McDonald, Craig Howie and the Graham brothers - Connor and Gregor - were there to see Young hole the winning putt. “This year in particular Danny has been playing really well and it is great to see him win in what has been a really good season for the Scottish guys so far,” observed Walker.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.